Ice plate



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Dec; 5, 1931 Filed Oct. 23, 1957 w. J. JAEGER ICE PLATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT OR.

M'i/bert J. Jaeger m BY W. J. JAEGER Dec. 5, 1961 ICE PLATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 25, 1957 INVENTOR. W'lber' J. Jaeger i l p e,

BY W HIS ATTORNEYS United States fornia Filed Oct. 23, 1957, Ser. No. 691,912 Claims. (Cl. 62-396) This invention relates to an ice plate for coolers, especially counter-type dispensing coolers for pre-mix drinks and the like.

The usual counter dispenser for cold drinks consists of a box-like Construction characterized by a water-tight inner liner which holds ice, an internally passaged cold plate through which the beverage flows to chiil it and which rests on the bottom of the liner in supporting contact with the ice, and a faucet which is supported by the dispenser and which is provided with connections for dispensing beverages chilled by the ice plate.

It is an object of this invention to consolidate some and preferably all of the foregoing structural parts into a unitary structure for performing the functions stated. By such consolidation, I am able to produce counter size units which are more compact, easier to manufacture, handle and install and 'which have unusually high cold drink Capacity. It will be appreciated that small size is essential to units arranged to be set on a counter and the comparative chilling capacity which I produce makes my dispenser particularly adapted for the Volume requirements of restaurant ice water serving `Stations as well as carbonated beverage dispensers. Morevover, the unit which I provide materially reduces or substantially elirninates the foaming problem which affects all of the prior art units when used fo'r dispensing carbonated beverages;

and this is accomplished with materially less chilling than is customary in units in which the foaming problem has been partially solved by excessive chilling.

More specific ally, the combined ice plate and liner unit which I provide comprises an open topped hollow aluminum block, which is generally rectangular, with cast-in tube coils in three of the five sides including the bottom side. Each coil i-s unipl-anar enabling it to have a subsurface location completely concealed within the wall in which 'it is embedded. Besides the bottom side, the other two walls preferably selected for containing the coils are the side walls which embody the major dimension of the bottom. The coils are so orienta-ted that one of the minor end walls commonly receives the ends of the coils to which suitable connectors are joined. The ends are Conveniently arranged and accessible to be connected in series or in individual relationship with the supply of the medium to be passed therethrough.

The plate which lhave provided is preferably a onepiece casting and thus constitutes a five-sided container withione major wall forming the bottom sideof the plate 'so as to support the ice. Lateral support is provided by 'the minor end walls at the transverse sides of the plat'e and by the longitudinally extending side walls at the front and rear respectively. The plate is preferably cast with a series of cored-in thin sections providing knockout openings for one or more faucets ada'pted to be secured 'to the front wall. In line with the stated objects, this improved plate serves as a Water-fight inner liner within a drink dispenser, storing the ice therein for cooling purposes. It further cools the drink and provides a mounting for the dispensing faucet or faucets.

As above 'indicated my plate 'is primarily adapted for use in counter-type dispensers for pre-mix beverages, being connectible one way at the end for multi-avor purposes or provided with series connections at that end for a single flavor only. In the broader aspects of the invention, however, the present unit is equally adapted tor use atent lowing description taken in conjunction with the aceomi ,e JCC,

2 atrestaurant ice-water serving Stations and satisfactory results have been obtained both with soft drinks or'other forms of carbonated bevera'ges with no foaming problem.

Fur-ther features, objects and advantages'will be specifically pointed out herein or will be apparent from' the folpanying drawings showing a preferred embodiment. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser embodying the liner plate provided by my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 with the liner' plate fully ex-posed;

- FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional'view taken along the lines III-III of FIGURE 2 showing the cast-in coils of tubing within the liner plate; and

FIGURES 4 and 5 are perspective views respectvely before and following the casting-in of the tubing coils.

In FIGURES 1 to 3, a drink dispenser 10 having a boxlike Construction is shown mounted to a counter 12 and arranged with one or more overhanging faucets 14 for dispensing ice cooled drinks therefrom. The dspens'er 10 contains an open topped liner plate 16 having a hollow interior 18 for holding ice-and being covered by a common closure top 20. v

The plate liner 16 is a rectangular casting preferably of a light metal such as aluminum and having cast-in coils of unipl anar tubing Cl, C2, C3 embedded within at least the wall 22 on the bottom side plus the two adjacent walls having the same major dimension. In 'the illustrated example, the coil CZ is embedded in a subsurface location in the rear wall 24 and the coil C3 is -embedded in the front wall 26. The front wall 26 'further has a series of cored-in recesses forming knock-'out holes 28, 30 and 32 for receiving the dispensing faucets 14. An open ended drain pipe 34 passing transversely through the wall-'22 provides an opening on the bottom side of the plate for accommodating the water from the melting ice.

Thecoils Cl, C2 and C3 are shown'disposed in separate planes with the two ends of each coil protruding in the same general direction from a common end wall 35 at that end of the casting. Thus, it is apparent that the respective pairs of end connections 36, 38 and 40 which the coils present ha've a convenient arrangement to be connected in series or in individual relationshp, in each wall 35.

In the structure shown in FIGURE 2, sufficient space is provided between the end wall 35 and the confronting inner face of the dispenser (not shown) so as to accommodate a pair of interconnections 42, which are fluid-tight, between the respective coils C3, CZ and CI to connect them in series in that order. A threaded sleeve fittng 44 is connected between a source of beverage supply (not shown) and the lower one of the pair of end connections 40 for the coil CS. The center opening means 30 is illustrati'vely shown as already knocked out nFIGURE 2 to receive a faucet and another threaded sleeve fitting 46 extends upwardly from one of the pair of connections 36 for connecting the coil Cl to the faucet 14 of FIGURE 1.

Immediately prior to being cast in the mass of metal, as shown in FIGURE 4, the tubng coils CI', C2 and C3 are assembled in the manner indicated with the coils-C2 and C3 in planes at right angles to the plane in'which the coil Cl is positioned. In the casting operation the assembly is positioned with the coils 02 and C3 extendng downwardly from the plane of the coil C1, the connections 36, 38 and 40 extending upwardly beyond the level to which the molten metal is poured. Each coil is clamped between an individual pair of stringer bars 48 which extend longitudinally of the coil to hold it in a single plane. Each coil is spiralled nwardly from the two end connections thereof to a common S--shaped portion 50 where it reversesitself with each turn being completely surrounded by the' next outer turn. A pair of transverse loops 52 Secured to each pair of stringer bars 48 provides lateral stability for'the coil to keep it in plane. The coils CZ and C3 at the opposed sides of the assembly are uniformly spaced apart by means of reinforcing cross rods 54 which bridge securely between the respective stringer bars 48 at locations which in the pouring position of the assembly in a mold are at the respective upper and lower end portions of the side coils. The unobstructed spaces between the subassembly parts 48, 50 and 54, which become integral reinforcements and a permanent part of the casting, enable the poured metal to penetrate freely along and about each turn of the tubing. The mold core used during casting, which is omitted from FIGURE 4 for the sake of clarity, has a generally rectangular shape and is inserted in a conventional way in the space between the side coils and between the cross reinforcements 54.

In FIGURE S, the plate 16, upon solidifying, is separated from the mold 56 in which it is cast. The coredin cavities 28, 30 and 32 result from protrusions on the core itself, which are omitted for the sake of clarity, and these protrusions are of conventional form and` are removed at the time of the core removal. The lower end connection 40 of one of the side coils is deflected downwardly from the dotted line position to carry a depending tbreaded fitting in the manner exemplified by the end connection and sleeve fitting 44 on coil C3 shown in FIGURE 2 for introducing liquid into that coil. Similarly, an upwardly detlected end connection 36 for the coil Cl carries an upstanding threaded fitting in the man- 46 of FIGURE 2 to serve as the discha'ge outlet and in the event that the coils are intended for individual operation, each coil is provided with one such threaded inlet fitting 44 and one outlet fitting 46 properly Secured to the end connections thereof.

In order to produce the specific series arrangement according to the example of FIGURE 2, the end connections 36, 38 and 40 are bent from their dotted line positions shown in FIGURE into the solid line position with only one end of two of the coils carrying a threaded fitting, these coils Cl and CS being arranged at the other end to be -foreshortened as necessary and connected through fitted connections such as a sweated sleeve interconnection 42 to the respective ends of side coil C2.

Following is an example of the dimensions of a suitable liner plate:

Bottom side 22 x Major sides at front and rear 10" x 15". Minor sides at the ends 10" x 10". Developed length of each separately wrapped coil ,114 feet.

The tubing cast in the sides of the plate is preferably stainless steel. By selecting those sides which have a major dimension equ'alling that of the bottom side, I am able to significantly multiply the cooling area and produce a rating comparable to the capacity of two or three horizontal ice plates known heretofore. More specifically, comparative performance tests gave a sustained operation of the present plate 16 dispensing drinks at 40 F. or under at the rate of 29.8 gallons per hour, the incoming drink temperature being 75 F., whereas, under like circumstances, except that the inlet temperature was 68 F., the cold plates heretofore known delivered 14 gallons per hour at 40 F. The latter plate under comparison 'had the dimensions 10" x 15" x 1" and operated in a horizontal position requiring the building of a box and an inner liner to hold it.

It will be appreciated that the present plate which embodies an ice supporting bottom joined by an integral pluralty of side walls performsthe liner function of ner exemplified by the end connection and sleeve fittirg i: itself and additionally cools the drink and provides a mounting for the dispensing faucet or faucets, resulting in a great saving of space.

In the series connection arrangement of FIGURE 2, it will be appreciated that when the ice level in the chamber '18 is at or above a point slightly beneath the knockout openings `28, 30 and 32, the coils Cl, CZ and C3 are substantially equally chilled. As the ice level drops, the cooling effect on the side coils CZ and CZ is proportionately reduced, whereas the cooling efiect of the coil Ci in the third section of flow path continues to produce its full chilling effect.

Variations within the spirit and scope of the invention described are equall-y comprehended by the foregoing description. V

I claim:

l. A general-ly rectangular shaped cold drink dispenser having an open topped cast-liner comprisng an ice supporting bottom joined by an integral plurality of side walls, subsurface uniplanar coils embedded in opposite ones of said walls and in the wall located on the bottom side, a faucet mounting opening forme d in one of said opposed walls at a point closely spaced from the top, an open dra'n opening in the bottom side of the liner, and connections extending from the coils arranged to be placed in series or individual relationship and having uid-tight interconnections therebetween.

2. A draft station comprisng a hollow box-like casing having a vertical outer wall and a draft faucet rigidly mounted adjacent its upper end, a Water-tight liner unit mounted within said casing and having groups of serially connected fiat spiral wound coils of tubing, each of said groups being arranged with an inlet end and an outlet end and with the coils both out of plane from each of the other groups and mutually perpendicular to the next' adjacent -one of the groups thereof, looped clamping structure individual to the coils of each group, a liquid inlet conduit entering at the bottom end of said casing and having connection with the inlet end of one of said coil groups, the bottom end of said cooling unit having another one of said coil groups disposed therein, and a leader directly connecting the outlet end of the lastmentioned group wi-th said draft faucet, the body of said liner unit being of a generally .impertorate Construction providing good heat conducting characteristics and imbedding said groups of coils and looped clamping structure in a solid mass. i

3. A multi-sided plate cooler of cast metal to receive ice and having all sides integral, faucet-supplying, cooling coils embedded in a plurality of said sides, and connections extending externally of one end of said cooler which are arranged so as to connect the coils either in series to one faucet or in individual relationship to a plurality of faucets.

4. A five-sided ice plate of generally rectangular shape with all sides integral and being open-topped to serve as a coolant receptacle, cooling coils individual to at least the three plate sides which extend for its longitudinal dimension and being cast in said sides, an open dran tube in the floor of the plate and leading through the plane of the cast-in coil in the bottom side the'eof and through said bottom side to a point external thereof, and means at one longitudinal end of the plate connecting the coils in series to provide an extended cooling path for liquid flow with the two lateral side coils formng the first and second sections thereof in that order.

5. Faucet-controlled dispensing means for cooling drinks comprisng the combination of an open-topped dispenser liner formed of a mass of metal and adapted to hold ice in the hollow interior thereof, a dispenser supporting the liner therein and carrying closure means effective to form a cover extending across the top of the liner, faucet means external to the dispenser and protruding inwardly to a mounting on said liner constituting the sole support for said faucet means, uniplanar coils cast in the mass of the liner metal in subsurface locations in a i plurality of the walls thereof, external supply and drain means leading inwardly with respect to said dispenser, and connections in the space between the dispenser and liner including fluid-tight means leading from said supply and to said faucet means and connecting said coils therebetween.

6. Faucet-controlled dispensing means for cooling drinks comprising the combination of an open-topped dispenser liner formed of a mass of metal and adapted to hold ice in the hollow interior thereof, `a dispenser supporting the liner therein and carrying closure means efiective to form a cover extending across the top of the liner, a plurality of faucets external to the dispenser and protruding inwardly to a mounting on said liner constituting the sole support for the faucets, uniplanar coils cast in the mass of the metal in subsurface locations adapted to receive therewithin and support a cooling medium, a spirally inwound and outwound continuous stainless steel tube col cast in each named longitudinal wall of the body, means including fluid-tight inlet means for leading from a supply source to connect inlet connections of the coils thereto, means including fluid-fight outlet means for leading to ,faucet means to connect at least one coil outlet connection thereto, and cored-in faucet opening means' arranged in said cooler so that said opening means and said connections are on different lateral sides of said cooler body, one side thereof constituting the sole means 'through which said conuections emerge and being common to each one. a

8. A single piece cast aluminum ice plate unit of watertight construction having a continuous longitudinal bottom wall, said wall provided with angularly upstanding receptacle structure thereabout formed by an ntegrally joined set of longitudinally cxtending front and rear and transversely extending side walls thereon and adapted to receive therewithin and support a body of coolant, a spirally inwound and outwound continuous stainless steel tube cast in each named longitudinal wall of the body and each entering the body at the same transverse side wall thereoi:` and leaving the body at that side and adapted to convey liquid therethrough, clamping structure for causing the aforesaid spirally wound 'tubes to conform to flat coils and being integrated as a permanent part of the casting, said structure comprsng cross reinforcements for holding mutually confronting ones of the flat `walls thereon and adapted to receive therewithin and support a cooling medium, a continuous stainless steel tube cast in each named longitudinal wall of the body and each entering the body at the same transverse end wall thereof and leaving the body at that same end and adapted to convey liquid therethrough, external connections at said end which are arranged so as to connect the tubes in series to one faucet or in individual relationship to a plurality of faucets, and faucet means Secured to an end wall of said cooler body for connection to said connections in the manner just stated.

10. A multi-sided ice plate for chilling flavored drinks comprising a single piece cast aluminum cooler body of watertght construction and having a continuous longitudinal bottom wall, said wall provided with angularly upstanding receptacle structure thereabout formed by an ntegrally joined set of longitudinally extending front and rear and transverse end walls thereon and adapted to receive therewithin and support a cooling medium, there being provided in said body faucet knockout openings located in said front wall, a continuous stainless steel tube cast in each narned longitudinal Wall of the body and each entering the body at the same transverse end wall thereof and leaving the body at that same end and adapted to convey flavored liquid 'therethrough, and faucet means passing through and carried by said front wall of said cooler body, said body provided with' the aforesaid faucet knockout openings in a cast-in arrangement in said front wall and of a sufiicent number adapt i ing it to carry three of said faucet means therein for dispensing three flavors.

References cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 876,823 Meldau Jan. 14, .1908 1,029,981 Fahrman et al June 18, 1912 1,077,015 Turek Oct. 28, 1913 1,372,135 Green Mar. 22, 1921 '1,777,786 Copeman Oct. 7, 1930 1,856,536 Bungay May 3, 1932 1, 932,184 Knapp Oct. 24, 1933 1,959,934 Smith May 22, 1934 2,026,878 Farr Jan. 7, 1936 2,124,110 Hall July 19, 1938 2,142,856' Lieb et al. Jan. 3, 1939 2,663,551 Boling Dec. 22, 1953 2,743,517 Everett ..`May 1, 1956 2,871,675 Cornelius Feb. 3, 1959 

